The text below is extracted verbatim from
Section IV-B of the Operating Manual for Qualification Standards
for General Schedule Positions (p.166-167), but contains minor edits
to conform to web-page requirements.
This is an individual qualification standard developed
by the Office of Federal Procurement Policy under the authority
of 41 U.S.C. 433. It does not apply to Department of Defense
positions.
Basic Requirements for GS-5 through GS-12
- A 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with a major in any field;
OR
- At least 24 semester hours in any combination of the following fields: accounting, business,
finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative
methods, or organization and management.
Applicants who meet the criteria for Superior Academic Achievement
qualify for positions at the GS-7 level.
The following table shows the amounts of education and/or
experience required to qualify for positions GS-7 thorough GS-12
covered by this standard.
GRADE |
EDUCATION |
OR |
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE |
GS-7 |
1 full academic year of graduate education or law school or
superior academic achievement |
1 year equivalent to at least GS-5 |
GS-9 |
2 full academic years of progressively higher level graduate
education or masters or equivalent graduate degree or LL.B. or
J.D. |
1 year equivalent to at least GS-7 |
GS-11 |
3 full academic years of progressively higher level
graduate education or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree |
1 year equivalent to at least GS-9 |
GS-12 and above |
(No educational equivalent) |
1 year equivalent to at least next lower grade level |
Equivalent combinations of education and experience are qualifying
for all grade levels for which both education and experience are acceptable. |
Graduate Education. To qualify for GS-1102 positions on the basis of graduate education,
graduate education in one or a combination of the following fields is required: accounting,
business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing,
quantitative methods, or organization and management.
Note - For positions at GS-7 through GS-12, applicants who are qualifying based on experience
must possess at least one year of specialized experience at or equivalent to work at the next lower
level, that provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the work of the
position, in addition to meeting the basic requirements in paragraph A or B, above.
Exceptions: Employees in GS-1102 positions will be considered to have met the standard for
positions they occupy on January 1, 2000. Employees who occupy GS-1102 positions at grades 5
through 12 will be considered to meet the basic requirements for other GS-1102 positions up to and
including those classified at GS-12. This includes positions at other agencies and promotions up
through grade 12. However, employees must meet specialized experience requirements when
seeking another position.
Basic Requirements for GS-13 and Above
- Completion of all mandatory training prescribed by the head of the agency for progression to GS-13 or higher level contracting positions, including at least 4-years experience in contracting or
related positions. At least 1 year of that experience must have been specialized experience at or
equivalent to work at the next lower level of the position, and must have provided the knowledge,
skills, and abilities to perform successfully the work of the position.
AND
A 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree, that included or was supplemented by at
least 24 semester hours in any combination of the following fields: accounting, business, finance,
law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, or
organization and management.
Exceptions: Employees in GS-1102 positions will be considered to have met the standard for
positions they occupy on January 1, 2000. This also applies to positions at the same grade in the
same agency or other agencies if the specialized experience requirements are met. However, they
will have to meet the basic requirements and specialized experience requirements in order to qualify
for promotion to a higher grade, unless granted a waiver under Paragraph D.
- Waiver: When filling a specific vacant position, the senior procurement executive of the selecting
agency, at his or her discretion, may waive any or all of the requirements of Paragraphs A and B
above if the senior procurement executive certifies that the applicant possesses significant potential
for advancement to levels of greater responsibility and authority, based on demonstrated analytical
and decision making capabilities, job performance, and qualifying experience. With respect to each
waiver granted under this Paragraph D, the senior procurement executive must document for the
record the basis of the waiver. If an individual is placed in a position in an agency on the basis of a
waiver, the agency may later reassign that individual to another position at the same grade within
that agency without additional waiver action.
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